The following message has been received today (July 8, 2025) from the Rugby Football Union.
Important Update on League Promotion & Relegation changes for the 2025 Season.
During our dialogue with clubs throughout the last season, including at our roadshows, one of the most prominent issues raised by clubs was the current competition formats. In response, significant work has taken place to explore potential improvements that address these concerns.
Many of the options being considered are complex and therefore require further discussion and club consultation.
However, in the short term, in collaboration with the Adult Comps Management Committee, we have gathered targeted feedback from clubs on how to create a competition format that keeps league seasons engaging right to the end, supports player retention, and helps drive club revenue.
The outcomes of this process have been to fast-track the below change and begin the process of modernising our competitions.
From the 2025/26 season, play-offs will be introduced in both National and Regional men’s leagues.
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In the Men’s National leagues, there will be promotion/relegation play-offs between National 1 and the Championship, and between National 1 and National 2.
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In the Men’s Regional Leagues, there will be promotion/relegation play-offs between Regional 1 and Regional 2, and play-offs for promotion into National 2. As a result, the current cup competition model will be removed for these levels.
These changes mean that for this coming season, there will be more meaningful matches throughout the entire season and clubs will be able to generate more revenue through competitive, exciting rugby right up to the final whistle of the league campaign.
Further updates will follow direct to all clubs involved.
Thank you to all the clubs that participated in the engagement process and contributed to shaping the future of our competitions.
Community Cup Changes for Counties 1 & Below.
This season, we've received lots of feedback, and have engaged with lots of clubs throughout the season to ascertain their feedback on how to improve the Community Cup Competition.
Papa John's are no longer an RFU commercial partner and we are therefore taking this opportunity to restructure the format of the competition.
We're introducing a new format for next season, giving clubs a cup fixture early in the campaign. All clubs will be automatically entered, with the option to opt out by August 8th.
Competition Structure:
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Counties 1 & 2:
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1 National Championship
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2 Regional Cups (North & South)
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Counties 3 & below:
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1 National Championship
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3 Regional Cups (North, Central & South)
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Please note:
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Teams will be ranked based on their best playing record from last season.
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Relegated teams will compete in the Championship at their new level.
Further information on this will follow.
